Pulling on My Heart Strings
by darkgirl11
Summary: Kiba and Lee are the ambassadors of the Leaf, due to their relationships with Kankuro and Gaara. Yet, while in Suna, the ambassadors are taken by a "group" of rouge ninja with the intent to turn them into their own weapon. Gaara and Kankuro must save them before it's too late. Mainly Kankukiba with side pairing Gaalee & an appearance from everyone's favorite young shark!


_Pulling on My Heart Strings_

 **Summary: Kiba and Lee are the ambassadors of the Leaf, due to their relationships with Kankuro and Gaara. Yet, while in Suna, the ambassadors are taken by a "group" of rouge ninja with the intent to turn them into their own weapon. Gaara and Kankuro must save them before it's too late. Mainly Kankukiba with side pairing gaalee**

Pulling on My Heart Strings

If he learned anything from living in Suna, Kiba would say that he learned that the sun definitely shined brighter here than in Konoha. Kiba was sitting on the edge of the great wall that surrounded the city. He liked to sit there and watch the sunrise from time to time. It would cause Kankuro to worry about him, even though the puppet master would deny it.

Kiba snickered to himself, he and Kankuro were perfect for each other. They had been together ever since Kankuro saved him from Sakon and Ukon about three years ago. Kiba had since then been deemed worthy of being an ambassador between the Sand and the Leaf, along with Rock Lee.

Kiba had also been making appearances in the Suna Academy, teaching the young ninja some justu but today he was going to the academy to teach them life lessons since you can't be a ninja without some common sense. Kiba leaned back, allowing the sun's rays to shine down on him and warm his skin. He sat there smiling, humming to a song in his head. This was peaceful.

Kiba let out a breath before singing aloud, _"There is a living promise land… even over fields of sand…seasons fill my mind and cover me… bringing back more than a memory…"_

Kankuro had been standing close by the whole time, not feeling creepy at all for watching Kiba. He admired his lover and couldn't help but let out a love filled sigh as Kiba sang, _"Oh, chariot… your golden waves are walking down upon this face… oh, chariot… I'm singing out loud to guide me…"_

" _Give me your strength…"_

"You done yet?"

"Fuck you, Kankuro."

Kankuro rolled his eyes, this described their relationship perfectly. They were such assholes to each other but that was just their personalities. Kiba didn't sing often so when he did, Kankuro tried to take advantage of the moment. But in this case, he wasn't given that option because Kiba had to get to the Sand Academy for his lesson.

"Come on, Kiba, we gotta get going."

Kiba nodded and smiled as Kankuro lifted him up to his feet. But as soon as Kiba was on his feet, he found himself being lifted up and into Kankuro's arms. Kiba was about to question why he was being carried bridal style but he was cut off when Kankuro jumped down and hopped from building to building. Kiba wrapped his arms around Kankuro's neck, earning a smirk from the puppet master.

Kiba looked up at his lover, eyes wide and shining bright. Kankuro was the most important person in his life. He couldn't imagine being without him. Kankuro completed him in every way. Everything he wasn't, Kankuro was. Kankuro felt Kiba's grip tighten on him, making look down to see that Kiba was nuzzled into the crook of his neck. God, Kankuro loved this boy.

When they reached the Suna Academy, Kankuro placed Kiba back on his face gently. Kiba was about to ask why he needed to be carried there but Kankuro beat him to it, "Didn't want you to slow us down, mutt."

Kiba rolled his eyes, what a lame excuse for wanting to hold him close. The dog nin grabbed Kankuro's shirt and tugged him down for a kiss. Kankuro smirked into the kiss, he loved it when Kiba got feisty like this. When they pulled away, Kankuro kissed his lover's forehead, a gesture he didn't do often.

"I'll see you after work, pup."

"Don't keep me waiting long, doll face."

They smirked at the nicknames they had for each other before parting ways. Kiba walked down the halls, chuckling to himself because Kankuro really did get him fast enough that he would be on time for his own lesson. He walked into the class and quickly noted that the class was mainly consisting of male students. There were barely any female ninja in Suna.

He let out a deep breath he didn't even know he was holding in before introducing himself, "Alright, pups, my name is Kiba Inuzuka and I am one of the ambassadors for the Sand and the Leaf. I am a shinobi of the Leaf, specializing in taijustu performed with my canine partner, Akamaru. Now today I'm not teaching you justu… I'm teaching you about something else. What does the word 'home' mean to each of you?

"My house!"

"Suna!"

"Sand!"

Kiba grinned at all the answers he got, "You're all… _wrong._ You're all giving me the definition of where you are from. Until you can understand what it means to be home, you do not have one. You need to be able to understand things such as this. Not everyone will find their home right away… it takes time and sometimes doesn't happen for many years but… you will each have a true home."

"But, Kiba-sensei," one female student spoke up, "if we live in Suna and have houses where we stay, why aren't they our home? Why isn't Suna my home? Or my house?"

He leaned on the wooden teacher desk in the front of the class as he explained, "Once you understand why they aren't your home, then you can finally understand what it means to have a home and what it feels like to be without it. Home cannot be defined as simply as they taught you while you were growing up… but if you can understand this then you will unlock more secrets to being a shinobi than you thought those piece of shit books know."

"Do you have a home, Kiba-sensei?"

"… yes, I do."

"How did you find your home?"

"If I told you then there would be no point to the lesson."

Kiba smirked at the frustrated and confused looks on their faces. He crossed his arms in front of his body and stated, "Your homework assignment for tonight is to find out what it means to be home. If you cannot answer the question correctly then… you each will have puppet master class with Kankuro-sensei tomorrow in place of my class."

"UGH."

He laughed at the reaction, Kankuro's puppet master class was the hardest one because they all couldn't form chakra strings. Just as Kiba was going to say something, Lee walked in with that big grin on his face with his typical "nice guy" pose. Kiba smiled and shook his head at his fellow ambassador. The Kazekage must have wanted to see him if Lee was interrupting one of his lessons.

Kiba nodded at his friend and then looked at the class, "Alright, class, I have an important meeting with the Kazekage that just came up so it looks like class will be cut short today. But don't think that it means you can sneak out of doing your homework. Remember the consequences if you answer incorrectly! Class dismissed!"

The two ambassadors stayed behind as all the kids ran out of the room. Kiba sighed and looked at Lee with a smile on his face, "Gaara missed me, didn't he? I can't really blame him, though."

"Nor can I! You are radiating with youth!"

"I bet I am…"

Kiba walked mainly in silence with Lee as they walked to the Kazekage tower. Well, it was mainly Lee talking about his new training exercises and Kiba would put in his two sense here and there when Lee would allow him to talk. When they finally made it, Lee opened the door for Kiba and closed it behind the dog nin so it would be just Gaara and Kiba.

"Well, well, well," Kiba smirked as Gaara lifted his head from his paper work, "it seems as if you haven't slept in weeks, Gaara. You look as handsome as Shukaku!" That comment earned a roll of the eyes from Gaara as he put his papers to the side of his desk so he could focus on Kiba.

"How are you liking your time here?"

Kiba's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, was this really why Gaara had called him into his office? To ask him how he likes Suna? Kiba blinked a couple times before asking bluntly, "Are you serious, Gaara? You made me cut my class short so you could ask me how I like my stay here?"

Gaara nodded, not seeing anything wrong with asking. Kiba shook his head and grinned at his friend, "Suna's been treating me great. I'll admit I thought it was going to be shit living here but I find more things every day that I love about this place. I mean granted I have to see your annoying as fuck brother every day but it's so different from Konoha… it's nice…"

"As much as it pains me to say this… I have to send you and Lee back today."

"Wh-what? Gaara you can't be serious! What for?!"

"I need you two to take a letter to Tsunade on future ally policies between our villages."

"Why do both of us have to go?"

Gaara crossed his arms on his desk, Kiba noticed the sorrow in his eyes as he explained, "Any other time I would have sent you and Kankuro but the Sand's ninja are stretched thin at the moment and I need Kankuro here. I would send Temari with you but she's visiting Shikamaru so I have no other choice than to send you and Lee together to be each other's reinforcement. Afterwards, you can return to Suna and everything will return to as it was."

"But," Kiba's eyes widened when Gaara continued, "there are rouge ninja in the dessert so I had requested Neji and Shino to meet you two at the halfway point in the dessert to make sure you both make it to Konoha without any trouble. I know you're a capable tracking shinobi but… the sand will have an effect on your nose… it won't be much help so I advise you to proceed with caution and…"

"Take care of Lee for me while I cannot."

"You know Kankuro would say the same thing to Lee about me."

"I have no doubts about that." Gaara smiled.

"Alright, Gaara, I'll send Lee back in and I'll see you soon."

Gaara nodded and gave a slight smile when he saw his lover rush back into the room. Kiba shut the door behind him and smiled when he heard Lee telling him about how he would return to Gaara as soon as he could. As soon as the dog nin left the Kazekage tower, he noticed his students crowding outside. He blinked a couple times at the sight of them all staring at him.

He walked over to them but before he could ask them why they were all waiting for him, one of the boys beat him to it, "You aren't coming back… are you? You're going back to the Leaf and we aren't going to see you or Lee again…"

Kiba ruffled the boy's hair and grinned, "Where'd you get a ridiculous idea like that from? I have been given a mission by the Kazekage to return to the Leaf to deliver a message to the Hokage. Lee and I will be back in a couple days but with that being said… you all have more than enough time to figure out the answer to my question! Now there's no reason for any of you to get it wrong!"

"Or else you can take puppet master lessons with-"

"NO!"

He laughed loudly, not caring that it echoed down the street. He waved goodbye to his students and was off on his way back home. He opened the door to his and Kankuro's home, instantly hating how he knew he wouldn't get to say goodbye to his lover. He and Lee had to be off right away to deliver the message to Tsunade.

Kiba sighed as he began packing his bag with weapons and beef jerky. When he was finishing his packing, his ears twitched at the sound of music being played from upstairs. His eyes narrowed, the music was being played from his and Kankuro's room. But it couldn't be Kankuro… he wasn't back from work yet…

He growled and grabbed a kunai from his bag, he didn't have time to deal with some stupid intruder who decided it was a brilliant idea to play music. He started sniffing the air, no ninja would be this foolish… unless it was a trap set for him. He sniffed the air more until his eyes widened… _Kankuro._

Kiba grinned and ran up the stairs and burst open the door to find his lover. Kankuro was standing in front of their bed with a bouquet of flowers. Kiba gasped at the sight of the flowers, those were hard to come by in a place like Suna. That alone told him that Kankuro tried really hard to get them for him. Kiba smiled softly when he finally realized it was their song Kankuro was playing.

 _Settle down with me,_

 _Cover me up,_

 _Cuddle me in._

 _Lie down with me,_

 _And hold me in your arms._

Kankuro rolled his eyes at the sight of Kiba blushing like a child. The puppet master settled the flowers down on the bed and walked over to his lover, wrapping his arms around his slender waist. Kiba gasped at the contact but smiled as he snaked his arms around Kankuro's neck. They looked at each other, their eyes shining as they slow danced.

 _And your heart's against my chest,_

 _Your lips pressed in my neck._

 _I'm falling for your eyes,_

 _But they don't know me yet._

 _And with this feeling I'll forget,_

 _I'm in love now…_

Kankuro smiled softly as he leaned down and kissed Kiba's forehead, causing the Leaf nin to blush a light pink. Kankuro was being extremely sweet and he only got like this on special occasions and as far as Kiba knew, this wasn't one of them but it was still nice. He felt appreciated and loved. That was all Kiba could really ask for.

 _Kiss me like you wanna be loved,_

 _You wanna be loved,_

 _You wanna be loved…_

 _This feels like falling in love,_

 _Falling in love,_

 _Falling in love._

 _We're falling in love…_

Kiba nuzzled his face in the crook of Kankuro's neck, giving little kisses to the skin there. Kankuro smiled down at his lover. It was moments like this that they could drop the act that they were both assholes and just be sweet to each other. This was a side of their relationship only they knew about and that was how they liked it.

 _Settle down with me,_

 _And I'll be your safety,_

 _You'll be my lady._

 _I was made to keep your body warm,_

 _But I'm cold as the wind blows,_

 _So hold me in your arms._

Suddenly, Kiba broke out of Kankuro's grip and turned off the song, Kankuro wasn't even trying to hide the shock he was feeling from that. Kankuro had no words to say, he wanted to get angry so badly but he didn't want to say anything he was going to regret.

He clenched his fist and was about to say something when Kiba shut him up with outstanding vocals, _"Told me not to cry when you were gone but the feeling's overwhelming, it's much too strong… can I lay by your side? Next to you, you… and make sure you're alright. I'll take care of you…"_

Kankuro's heart beat fast, Kiba's voice always got him like that. He felt frozen, Kiba's voice was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard when he sang to him. Other than that Kiba was damn annoying most of the time. It was rare for a ninja to have a voice that could hit every note, let alone even sing so Kiba was a rarity.

Kankuro walked forward and put his hands on Kiba's cheeks, making sure they were looking each other in the eyes when Kankuro said just barely above a whisper, "And I don't want to be here if I can't be with you tonight…"

"I love you, Kankuro. I'll be home soon."

"I love you, too, Kiba… I'll walk you to the gates."

"Thank you… for everything."

"I am pretty great, aren't I?"

Kiba's face deadpanned, leave it to Kankuro to ruin a perfectly good moment like this. Kankuro smirked and didn't even bother to apologize but Kiba saw that coming. Kiba rolled his eyes when Kankuro kissed his cheek and said, "Who knew that for someone with such a loud voice could have one of the best voices around?"

"Thanks, Kankuro…"

"No problem, mutt."

They were like that the whole way to the gates, engaging in playful banter between each other. It was how they showed their affection without having to be so open about it. They knew how they felt about each other, why should the rest of the world get to see them like that all the time?

When they finally reached the gates, they saw Lee crying in Gaara's arms. To anyone else, it would look as if Gaara was emotionless but it wasn't the case to Kankuro and Kiba. They noticed the smallest of frowns on Gaara's face. They knew Gaara was saddened at the state of his lover. Lee always got emotional when he had to leave his lover's side.

"I swear I would dump you if you ever did that."

Kiba rolled his eyes at his lover. Kankuro hated when Lee got like this because he felt as if it wasn't necessary since he was going to be back in Suna in a couple of days. Sure, he was going to miss Kiba but he knew his lover was going to be right back before he knew it. He thanked God that Kiba wasn't overly dramatic when they had to part ways.

Kiba punched Kankuro's arm playfully and gave him a toothy grin, "Leave him alone, would you? You're just jealous deep down inside that I don't get all mushy gushy like that with you when I have to leave."

Kankuro pretended to throw up at what Kiba said, making the dog nin laugh loudly. Gaara looked over at his brother and Kiba, finally aware that he and Lee were no longer alone. Gaara whispered something in Lee's ear, making the Leaf nin wipe his tears away and smile softly at his friends.

It was time for them to say their final farewells. Gaara had entrusted Kiba with the message rather than Lee since Kiba was more likely to be more responsible with it and remember he had it. Kiba looked into Kankuro's eyes, they looked sad but they still shined as bright as the first time Kiba ever looked into them, causing him to smile.

Kankuro put a hand on Kiba's cheek and the other on his hip while Kiba put both hands on his lover's face. Kankuro snickered to himself before saying, "You know, I might actually miss you, mutt. Don't forget to howl at the moon for me, babe."

"You're such a dick."

"But you love me anyways."

"Unfortunately."

The Suna nin smirked and pulled Kiba in for a kiss. When they pulled away, Kiba laughed at Kankuro's smeared face paint. When Kiba finally fixed Kankuro's face paint, Lee and Gaara were done with their goodbyes. Kankuro and Kiba kissed one more time, surprising Kiba with a kiss to his forehead before he had to walk away. Before Kiba could leave with Lee, Gaara pulled him over.

"I need to warn you, Kiba… Lee may want to hold your hand."

"Are you fucking kidding me, Gaara? Why the hell is he going to try to do that?"

"He wants to feel like I'm there… I apologize in advance."

"Don't get mad at me if he comes back with one hand."

Gaara silently chuckled before nodding at his friend. Kiba shook his head before walking out with Lee by his side. Kankuro stood next to his brother, both letting out sighs as they watched their lovers walk away from their village. Kankuro burst out into laughter watching Kiba slap Lee's hand away from his. Gaara just face palmed himself and shook his head with a small smile.

"I only pray Lee makes it back alive…"

"If he keeps it up Kiba's going to get hungry and end up eating him."

Gaara smiled at his brother, watching the two ambassadors walk until they were lost in the dessert. Kankuro put a hand on his brother's shoulder and ushered him back into the village, telling him about how he had a lot of unfinished work to do and if he didn't do it now he wasn't going to do it later.

Kiba kept sniffing but he couldn't smell anything. This was one of the things he hated about Suna. All the sand messed with his sense of smell not matter how good his nose was. He could only depend on his ears and that wouldn't be much help to them now. Kiba rolled his eyes as Lee tried to hold his hand again. Kiba growled and snapped at his hand, causing Lee to yank his hand back with a sheepish grin.

The dog nin rolled his eyes, of course Lee would want to try to hold his hand when he was trying to concentrate. Everything looked the same but something didn't feel right. He was trying so hard to use his nose that he didn't hear the movements behind him and Lee. Right when he finally caught an unfamiliar scent, it was too late.

"Leaf hurricane!"

Kiba gasped as Lee kicked someone from behind, sending them flying back. Kiba pulled out a kunai but his eyes widened at the sight of rouge ninja emerging from the sand. That's why it was hard for him to catch their scent, they were hiding in the sand. There were eight of them and they were closing in on him and Lee.

"What the hell do you guys want?!"

"We want… you…"

"Well you aren't getting me without a fight!"

"We want both of you…"

Lee gasped, so they were both targets of these rouge ninja. Kiba put his kunai away and got down on all fours growling, "Ninja art: four legs technique!" Chakra instantly started oozing out of Kiba, causing their enemies to take a couple steps back. They looked horrified at the sight of Kiba's finger nails sharpening and his fangs becoming even more noticeable.

"Let us show them back from which they came from!"

"Let's go, Lee!"

Kiba and Lee took off, their speeds being equal to each other's. The rouge ninja weren't fast enough to stop their attacks, sending them back into the sand. Lee and Kiba gasped at the sight of their attackers. Lee took a step back towards Kiba, muttering in disbelief, "Th-They are puppets…"

"If they're puppets… where's the one controlling them?"

"You need only look behind you, _Kiba_."

Kiba's eyes widened as he stood up and turned around. Kiba gasped at the sight of the man. He was nearly six feet tall and he looked as if he was trying to be a perfect copy of Sasori of the Red Sand. Kiba noticed the flaws in the man since Kankuro was always tinkering with the Scorpion, Sasori's real body.

The man smirked at Kiba's reaction, laughing to himself before explaining, "I know what you're thinking, _dog_. I'm not an exact carbon copy of Sasori… but I strive to be just like him… my name is Satsari and these… are my human puppet collection…"

"Human… puppets? Kiba… what is he talking about?"

Kiba grit his teeth before hissing back to Lee, "Kankuro told me about it… Sasori created puppets out of the corpse of a person. He would hollow the body, taking out all the bones and organs and he'd keep it from decaying… only Kankuro knows how to do that now and even he's not sick enough to do that! So who do you think you are doing that to people?!"

The last part Kiba screamed at Satsari, who just smirked more. He turned his smirk into a dark grin as he eyed Kiba hungrily, "I am the only other puppet master to have perfected this art… and you, Kiba… you are the one I am truly after… the lover of Kankuro, puppet master of the Sand Village… you would make the most excellent puppet…"

Satsari looked at Lee quickly before continuing, "And Rock Lee, the lover of the Kazekage… you would make a fine puppet as well… but perhaps, you could make a fine lover for me until I turn you into a puppet, my dear Kiba…"

"How do you know so much about us?"

"How does one not know of you two? You two are prizes…"

"Prizes? What the hell are you talking about?!"

"With you two as my puppets I can control the Sand and the Leaf."

Kiba smirked as he countered, "Good try, man, but you're never going to be in control of the Sand or the Leaf if you turn us into puppets. Kankuro may be dense and he may lack common sense sometimes but he'd point us out as puppets the second he sees us. And turning us into puppets would mean that you need to capture us… you're one hell of a dreamer, Satsari…"

"It's time for a wake up call from reality!"

Just as Kiba and Lee were about to attack Satsari, the puppets came to his defense. They created a wall between them. Kiba growled at the separation, puppet masters were more fond of long range fighting then close range. Kiba eyed each puppet, pin pointing their joints. Those were the weakest parts of the puppet, from what Kankuro told him. He would aim for the joints to break the puppets.

Kiba launched himself forward, Lee was calling for him to come back and be reasonable. Kiba struck the puppets quickly, each one getting a severe blow to their joints but when Kiba jumped back to Lee they didn't fall apart. He gasped at the sight of iron sand trickling out from the joints of the puppets. Kiba's eyes widened at the sand, there was only one ninja who possessed that justu.

"The iron sand of the Third Kazekage… but how?"

"I reassembled the Third Kazekage puppet into each of these puppets joints…"

"You used his justu to make the iron sand strengthen the joints… but now they can't move!"

"On the contrary, my dear Kiba, I can manipulate the sand to allow my puppets to move."

"You bastard! Let the Third Kazekage just rest in peace!"

Satsari shook his head and asked, "And why would you care so much about the Third? It's not like you knew him personally so why is it that you care so deeply for him?"

Kiba's fist clenched at his side as he explained, "It doesn't matter that I never knew him! He was a person! Sasori murdered him and turned him into a human puppet and just when he was finally able to rest in peace… you took him and you're using him for your own personal wishes! Human puppets are a disgrace!"

"Human puppets," Satsari smirked as he unbuttoned his cloak to reveal that he had turned himself into a human puppet as well, "are _eternal_. The Third Kazekage will live on forever with me… you will learn the beauty of human puppets when I make you my own. We shall live on forever together."

Kiba pulled out a kunai and got in a battle stance as he replied, "Human puppets are not eternal if they can't feel anything. You feel nothing towards these puppets and you feel nothing towards Lee and I. Being a human puppet is no way to live and it's certainly not how we're going to live! I will defeat you, I'll never let you turn me into a puppet!"

"You forget you are outnumbered and have a limited supply of chakra."

Before Kiba could make a move, a hand grabbed his legs. Lee went to try to help his friend but a puppet grabbed him from behind, slowly pulling him under the sand. Kiba cried out to Lee but found that he was being pulled into the sand as well. Kiba clutched the kunai, watching as Satsari started to head off towards his lair. Kiba closed his eyes, pouring his chakra into it before he dropped it in the sand.

' _Kankuro…'_

Kankuro was startled awake in the morning from a knock at the door. He sighed, annoyed because he knew it wasn't Kiba knocking at the door. He dragged himself to the front door, eyes wide with shock at the sight of Neji and Shino. Kankuro blinked a couple of times before hissing, "What the hell are you two doing here? You guys were supposed to meet Kiba and-"

"They weren't at the halfway mark."

"What do you mean they weren't there?!"

"How much more do you need me to dumb it down for you?! They're missing!"

"No way in hell your Byakugan couldn't find them, Neji!"

Neji rolled his eyes before glaring at the puppet master, Shino took over before Neji could say more, "My insects are reporting back to me… it appears that they have found a trace of Kiba's chakra in the dessert close to where we were supposed to meet them… let's go, it's pointless arguing."

Kankuro quickly put on his face paint and grabbed his scrolls, rushing out after Neji and Shino. Just as they were going out of Suna, Gaara appeared before them. He was about to say something when Kankuro grabbed him by the arm and made him run with them out of the village.

When they made it to where Shino's bugs told him to go, Neji activated his Byakugan and found Kiba's kunai, stating, "This is the only bit of chakra I can detect here. Kiba put his chakra into the kunai to create some sort of justu I've never seen before… it's as if his thoughts are contained within the kunai… only someone with the right chakra can understand it…"

"That's you, Kankuro…you know what justu this is."

"It's a special justu Kiba had been working on in case something like this happened…"

"I'll leave it to you then."

Kankuro nodded and took the kunai from Neji. He took a deep breath before putting his chakra into the kunai. This was a special justu that only Kankuro and Kiba knew. Kiba would put his chakra and thoughts into the kunai and only Kankuro's chakra could hear the thoughts and vice versa. Their chakras were connected so the kunai would only accept Kankuro.

Kankuro's eyes widened when he heard Kiba's voice echo in his mind. His voice sounded pained as he barely managed to get out, _'Kankuro… I… he took us… Satsari… he's headed to the north…he has eight human puppets…and he… he plans to make Lee and I his newest ones… please, Kankuro… find us… find me…'_

When it was done, Kankuro drew the kunai close to his chest and held it. Kiba didn't deserve this and neither did Lee. Kankuro stopped his shoulders from shaking as he thought, _'Kiba… I wish I had said better goodbyes to you than what I did… I'm such an idiot… Satsari you bastard, I'll kill you!'_

"Kankuro, what did Kiba say?"

"Use your Byakugan… Satsari of the Sand took them north… we don't have much time."

"What's going on?"

"Satsari wants to turn them into human puppets…"

Everyone looked at each other in shock. Creating human puppets was named a forbidden technique among puppet masters after the Sand found out what truly happened to the Third Kazekage. Only Kankuro was able to create a human puppet… or so he thought he was the only one.

Neji nodded and was about to lead them in the direction in which Satsari took Kiba and Lee until Gaara spoke firmly, "I'm going with you. I am the Kazekage of the Sand and if a Sand ninja thinks he can get away with such treacherous intentions I would like nothing more than to bury him in the sand, man or puppet."

Everyone nodded and headed off after Neji. Shino's insects were instantly searching for Kiba's scent, trying to locate him faster than Neji. They all looked up at the feeling of rain slowly starting to come down on them. Shino's insects flew back to him, Kiba's scent was running cold because of the rain tampering with their ability to smell clearly.

"We don't get rain often in Suna… this is a justu to throw us off."

"No matter, my eyes can still-no…"

"A fog? It's coated with chakra… Neji, you can't see."

"No… this chakra is creating false entities… my eyes won't be of much use."

Shino looked up at the clouds, "He certainly is scared of us… he's creating all of these justu to throw us off course… he must have a ninja from the Blood Mist Village on their side… this fog is so thick I can't tell where we're-"

 **CRASH.**

"What the fuck is your problem?!"

 _ **With Kiba & Lee….**_

When they woke up, they were chained to walls in a jail cell. Kiba looked over at Lee, he looked banged up but then again, he was banged up as well. His body felt weak, as if something was draining his chakra. Lee looked up at the chains, whispering to Kiba, "These chains… they are taking our chakra away from us… he plans to weaken us to turn us into puppets."

"We gotta get out of here, Lee… can you move?"

"It is no use, my strength is gone."

"Same here… but I think I've got an idea."

"He wants me the most," Lee's eyes widened at his friend's words, "he would throw you away in a heartbeat if it meant I would submit to him completely… you may be the lover of the Kazekage but he's more drawn to me because Kankuro's a puppet master… he's going to want me so he can have a puppet battle with Kankuro… if I can talk to him then I could get you-"

"Talk to me about what, my dear Kiba?"

"I will submit myself to you if you let Lee leave this place alive."

Satsari looked at Lee and then back to Kiba, clearly in deep concentration about Kiba's request. Kiba was the true prize here, after all. It was just pure luck that the lover of the Kazekage happened to be with the dog nin. But could he really just throw his little prize away after he had just gotten it?

"I'll tell you what," He smirked a his prey, "I won't turn him into a puppet but I won't let him go either. I'll keep him alive here with us forever. But this will only happen if you agree to please me in the bedroom, my dear Kiba. If you refuse, he _will_ become a part of my collection and I will be sure he will be awake through it all. Now, what do you say?"

Kiba hung his head, listening to Lee beg him to not go through with it and that he would be alright. But Kiba couldn't let Lee suffer like that. If there was any chance that Lee could live then he was going to have to take it, no matter how much it was going to kill him.

"I… I accept."

This pleased Satsari more than anything. He quickly dragged the dog nin by the chains down the hall and into another room. Lee could do nothing about it, causing him to hang his head and cry, "Why am I so weak? I cannot allow him to be turned into a puppet… I will be strong… I _will_ save you, Kiba!"

Kiba was thrown onto a bed with red velvet sheets. Kiba blinked in shock at the nice feeling, for someone so disturbing he had nice taste in sheets. Satsari took off his cloak, revealing a pair of pants similar to Sasori's. His stomach that was open with poison covered coils was being closed by fake puppet material. Kiba shuddered, he was seriously about to have sex with a puppet.

"Is… Is your dick made out of wood?"

"No, my love, I'll make sure you enjoy it as much as you would enjoy a human penis."

"H-How are you going to feel any pleasure by this? You're not real…"

"There are sensors on this puppet penis… I may not have emotions but I _will_ feel this."

Satsari chained Kiba's wrists to the headboard of the bed and Kiba was far too weak to be able to protest against it. Kiba felt tears sting at his eyes as he felt his clothes being taken off of him. He watched in horror as Satsari removed his pants and approached him. Kiba felt his body shaking with fear, Kankuro wasn't going to want him after this. Kiba closed his eyes, letting tears fall down his face.

' _Kankuro… I'm so sorry…'_

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

"What the fuck is your problem?!"

They all stepped back at the sight of a white haired ninja with Zabuza's sword on his back. They had crashed right into this guy and he was definitely not happy about it. Neji was the closest one to him, instantly getting into his Gentle Fist Stance. The other ninja copied his stance, surprising everyone as they both ran at each other saying, "Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

Just as Neji was about to land a blow on him, he turned into water and appeared behind Neji to attack saying, "Two palms! Four Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-two Palms! Sixty-Four Palms!"

Neji was shot back into Shino, everyone stared in awe at this ninja. Who on earth was he and how could he possess the Hyuga clan's kekkei genkai? Then it all hit Gaara. He stepped forward and stated, "You're Suigetsu Hozuki of Kirigakure. What are you doing out here so close to the Sand?"

"So you must be the Kazekage… Gaara was it? I'm surprised you even know about me."

"You were there helping in the Fourth Great War… don't make me ask you again, Suigetsu."

"It's not like it's any concern to you. I was on the pursuit to eliminate a ninja."

"And what is his name?"

Suigetsu crossed his arms, these ninja were being awfully annoying pestering him with all these questions. He didn't have time for this and what were the odds that they were even going to know what he was talking about? He shrugged and answered, "Satsari of the Sand. Orochimaru wants me to terminate him. You assholes are going to slow me down so fuck off."

"Wait!"

"I said fuck off you-wait… doll face, is that you?"

Kankuro shook his head at the nickname but he knew this ninja looked familiar. Kiba and Suigetsu were great friends. They met after the war when they were released from the ultimate genjustu. They just happened to have fallen on each other when they were released and found out that they had much in common. Kankuro remembered him because Kiba had introduced them.

Suigetsu grinned at his friend and asked, "Where's your damned dog, Kankuro? You let him run away from you, now?" Kankuro looked away, causing Suigetsu to grit his teeth. Where was Kiba? Why did the rest of the ninja have the same look and why weren't they answering him?

"Where the fuck is Kiba?!"

"Satsari has him…"

"Fucking bastard! We've got to get moving!"

"How? We can't track them!"

The shark nin smirked as he explained, "My eyes are more powerful than your little friend's eyes. I can see straight through this fog and I've already located Satsari's chakra. We're almost there but we've got to make up for the time you assholes made me lose."

Kankuro smirked before they all took off after Suigetsu. He grit his teeth, he just hoped that they would get there in time to save Kiba from being turned into a human puppet. Gaara stared blankly ahead, the only thoughts on his mind were finding Lee and making Satsari pay for daring to take what belongs to him.

When they were outside of the lair, they noticed three human puppets guarding the entrance of a cave. Suigetsu scoffed and walked out there, despite Neji and Kankuro telling him to fall back so that they could think of a battle strategy. Suigetsu rolled his eyes and grabbed his sword, "The longer you wait the more time Satsari has to turn Kiba into a puppet!"

They watched as Suigetsu ran at the puppet producing the fog, making hand signs as he snarled, "You'll pay for using a Kirigakure ninja as a puppet! Water style: demon fish!"

Everyone's eyes widened at the sight of the mist coming to Suigetsu, thus liquefying and creating a monstrous water demon fish. Suigetsu swam around until he was at the head of the fish, moving his arms and making the fish's fin slap two of the puppets into the outside of the cave, instantly breaking them.

He turned to the other one and smashed his fist down, making the demon fish copy his movement and destroy the puppet. Kankuro and the others rushed out of hiding and waited for Suigetsu to flush the water down the cave, making any puppet coming towards them to wash away.

They ran into the cave, noticing how the ground changed from gravel to a wooden floor very fast. So he was converting the cave into a puppet master's paradise? Kankuro grit his teeth, this Satsari was clearly not someone to be taken lightly. He was just hoping he could make it to Kiba before it was too late.

Suddenly, Suigetsu stopped, causing everyone to just barely stop themselves from crashing into him again. Gaara gasped at the slight of his lover struggling to free himself from a chain. Gaara's sand cut through the bars and released Lee from the last chain holding him back. Gaara held him in his arms, whispering sweet nothings to him.

"Wh-where's Kiba?"

"H-He made a deal with Satsari… I would not be harmed if he obeyed him…"

"No…"

"Kiba w-was the true prize… please, I was not s-strong enough… you must save him…"

Gaara stayed behind with Lee, trying to give him some of his own chakra to save Lee. Suigetsu and Neji led the way, their eyes pin pointing Kiba's chakra and moving towards it. Suigetsu and Neji looked at each other and smirked, "Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"

Together they destroyed the door that would lead them right to Kiba. They all had to hold back screams as they saw Kiba unconscious on a hospital table, a long cut was bleeding from Satsari's knife. They had just interrupted him from turning Kiba into a human puppet.

Satsari stepped away from the table but didn't bother to stop Kiba's bleeding. Suigetsu looked over at Neji and whispered, "We need to get to him to stop the bleeding. I need your help to stabilize him so I can heal the wound."

"With that being said, Kankuro, I'll leave you and Shino to stop him."

"I'll give it to you, you're smarter than you look, Suigetsu."

"Go fuck yourself, doll face."

Satsari eyed Suigetsu, he was just as interesting to him as Kiba was. He looked over a Neji and instantly was hypnotized by his pale eyes. He had to have him as well. As Neji and Suigetsu took off to get to Kiba, Satsari stepped in their way. Suigetsu and Neji growled, they didn't have time for this. Satsari was about to grab Suigetsu when he turned into water and appeared behind him.

Satsari went for Neji next but received a Vacuum Palm in return. So, he wasn't going to be able to turn them into puppets so easily. What a shame. He got up and shifted his attention back to Kankuro and Shino. He summoned his remaining five puppets and sent them to attack his foes. Kankuro growled and summoned the Scorpion, which instantly caught Satsari's attention.

"You possess the real body of Sasori of the Red Sand… incredible…"

"And your body will be the next puppet I add to my collection!"

As Suigetsu and Neji made it to Kiba, Suigetsu noticed something odd with the puppets. Neji started trying to stabilize Kiba as Suigetsu shouted to Kankuro and Shino, "Be careful, you guys! I can see these iron sand like shit in the joints of his puppets! You can't take them out by their joints! You just have to smash the fuck out of them!"

Kankuro and Shino nodded back, allowing Suigetsu to focus on Kiba. Suigetsu looked down at his friend, he could literally see his organs and it sickened him to his core, even though he didn't show it. He made quick hand signs before green chakra enveloped his hands. He placed them over the start of the cut and slowly began closing the wound while making sure the organs were in place.

Suigetsu grit his teeth, he never let anyone know but he was highly skilled in medical ninjustu to the point where he was just as good as Kabuto and just as good as Lady Tsunade, if not slightly better. He looked over at Neji, sweat was slowly starting to fall from his face. This was far more straining for Neji because he wasn't used to this but he has so much chakra that Suigetsu needed him to stabilize and restore Kiba's whole internal system. This wouldn't be easy.

Back with Kankuro and Shino, the two were having a hard time working with each other but had managed to destroy one puppet. Kankuro glared at Shino and growled, "Could you work with my puppet for one God damn minute?! You keep getting in the fucking way and it's probably because of those damn sunglasses you're wearing inside! Fucking idiot!"

"At least I'm not wearing a cat suit…"

Kankuro was about to yell something back until sand cut between the two men. Kankuro blinked in confusion when Gaara arrived with Lee in his arms. Lee gasped at the sight of his friend being tended to by Neji and Suigetsu. He took notice of the cut they were both trying to heal.

Gaara's sea foam eyes shifted between his brother and Kiba's teammate, "You're both idiots… would you both really still hold a grudge against each other from the time you two first fought? Your lover's life is on the line right now… and he's your teammate, is he not? Put your differences aside and fight for him as he would do for you both."

Everyone's eyes widened when Lee got out of Gaara's grasp and got into his fighting stance. He was shaking violently, even with some of Gaara's chakra given to him, he was still weak. Gaara was about to grab him when Lee gave him the thumbs up, "My ninja way is to show that I can be a splendid ninja but… it is to also protect those precious to me…"

"I will use _that_ justu… to protect the life of someone precious!"

Everyone gasped as Lee took off towards one of the puppets, instantly challenging it to a battle of taijustu. Satsari's eyes widened, never had one of his puppets been attacked so quickly with taijustu. He was struggling to keep up with Lee's speed but managed to knock him back into the wall, earning a gasp from Gaara, "Lee…"

Gaara ran over and defended Lee from the puppet's poison kunai. Lee looked up in surprise when he felt no pain, Gaara was standing before him. Gaara looked back at Lee and smiled softly, "Your dreams are mine to protect… if you can lay an attack on me when you were 13, you can destroy that puppet… now, go."

A fire returned in Lee's eyes after hearing Gaara's words, causing him to shoot up and run at the puppet. Lee's bandages on his hands unraveled themselves as Lee managed to kick the puppet into the air. The bandages wrapped around the wooden body and forced it still. Lee managed to get his arms around the puppet and spun at high speeds towards the ground.

"Primary Lotus!"

Dust shot out, causing everyone but Satsari to cover their eyes. When the dust cleared, the puppet was shattered on the ground. Three more were left. Suigetsu looked over at Neji, he was itching to get into the battle. Suigetsu looked down at the wound, it was halfway done but he could manage healing Kiba for the rest of the way. Suigetsu looked at Neji and smirked.

"If you don't help them out now, I'll have to do it myself."

"But Kiba isn't-"

"They need you more than I do right now. I got this, Neji… after all we're kekkei genkai kin."

"… yes, you're right… kekkei genkai kin."

Neji smiled softly at the term before silencing his presence so that everyone would think that he was still aiding Suigetsu. Before Satsari could register that Neji was awfully close to one of his puppets, it was too late. Neji smirked, "Gentle Fist, Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms! Two palms! Four palms! Sixteen palms! Thirty-two palms! Sixty-four palms!"

It was true, a puppet had no chakra network but each time Neji struck the puppet the wood would weaken significantly until it just completely shattered. Satsari eyed the Hyuga in wonder, he would definitely make a fine puppet if he could get close enough to him. Just as one of the puppets was going to try to grab Neji, a water bullet shot right through the puppet.

Another four water bullets shot out and destroyed the puppet. Everyone looked back to see Suigetsu breathing heavily but wearing a smirk on his face, "You weren't expecting me to just sit here and play nurse now, did you? And just an FYI, don't even try to fucking touch Neji."

Neji smiled fondly at the shark, it appeared they truly were kin if he would go so far out of his way to protect him while he was healing Kiba. Now Satsari only had one puppet left. Kankuro, Gaara, and Shino looked at each other and nodded. Gaara glared at the puppet and murmured, "Sand Shower…"

Sand shot out in sharp sprinkles, cutting holes in the puppet even when it tried to defend itself. Kankuro smirked and shot out the Scorpion's arm at the puppet, only to have it caught by Satsari's puppet. The Scorpion's wrist opened and hundreds of Shino's bugs flew out and into the holes Gaara's sand had created in the puppet. Within seconds, the insects had dismembered the puppet and rendered it useless.

They all started to surround Satsari, he was outnumbered now. Satsari looked back at all of them, he was finished now. At least he could go out with a bang. He smirked and the coil from his stomach shot out, almost getting Lee if not for Gaara's ultimate defense coming to his rescue.

Satsari was going insane, everything he planned was going to shit. He kept swatting his coil at everyone, forcing them to move away from him. He looked behind him to see Suigetsu finishing up closing Kiba's wound. He smirked as he made the coil swing back and attempt to stab into Kiba's opening. He gasped when he saw Suigetsu's hand coated with ice, holding the coil an inch away from the small opening.

"You fucking bastard! I'm not going to let you touch Kiba!"

"Fool… I don't need to touch him to kill him…"

The world seemed to move in slow motion as a drop of poison expertly dropped from the coil and into Kiba's body. The coil retracted from Suigetsu, causing the shark nin to chop off his poison covered ice hand and grow back a normal hand. Suigetsu was shaking with rage, how dare this person do something like that to Kiba? He was going to destroy this guy if it was the last thing he ever did.

Just as Suigetsu was going to move, he dropped on top of Kiba's body. Neji ran to him, instantly seeing that Suigetsu's body was exhausted. It took everything in him to use the Ice Release to stop Satsari from killing Kiba. Neji grit his teeth and started to give Suigetsu some of his chakra to heal him.

Kankuro's fists clenched and he screamed as he forced the Scorpion to engage Satsari in hand to hand combat. Satsari was not meant to use his actual body, he had not grown that accustomed to it as Sasori had. Kankuro smirked as both puppets grabbed each other's hands and were trying to push the other one back but neither one could get the upper hand.

"I'll see you in hell!"

Satsari's eyes widened as a blade from behind the Scorpion appeared and sliced his head right off. Of course, he didn't feel any pain but it was a surprise nonetheless. The blade then stabbed itself in the container of poison, the one thing that made him somewhat human. The battle was over but the true fight was not.

Suigetsu was breathing heavily and unevenly, he had spent a lot of his own chakra in protecting and healing Kiba. Neji had a hand on Suigetsu's shoulder, pouring his own chakra into the Kirigakure native. Kankuro looked down at the face of his lover before moving to Suigetsu's free side and placing a hand on his other shoulder, giving his own chakra to the shark.

Suigetsu's eyes widened at the feeling of Gaara, Lee, and Shino placing their hands on his back to give him some of their own chakra. He looked at all of them in shock, they would give up themselves for him and Kiba? He had never really known that people like them existed, the kind of people who would do anything for someone they cared for.

He smiled and nodded at them before the green chakra was back on his hands. He had to be extremely careful now that he had to pull out the poison before it could damage any of Kiba's organs. He concentrated hard on slowly pulling the poison out of his friend. Even though barely any time had passed since the drop entered Kiba's body, it had grown bigger and was trying to shut down his organs.

Kiba was starting to wake up and the pain he was feeling was making him writhe in pain. Kankuro grabbed Kiba's hand with his free one, squeezing the man so that Kiba would know that he was there with him. Suigetsu let out a hiss of frustration as he pulled out the last of the poison and chucked it away from them. He made quick work of sealing the wound before collapsing in Neji's arms.

"He's completely drained… we need to get him, Lee, and Kiba to a hospital."

"But, Neji, I do not need-" 

"You're going to the hospital."

"… you are right."

It was a long night for everyone. Kankuro was not allowed to spend the night so that Kiba could recover. Though, he felt somewhat better knowing that Suigetsu was a patient in the room with him. Lee was in the room next door and since Gaara was the Kazekage he was able to spend the night in the room with Lee. Kankuro rolled his eyes at that, leave it to Gaara to pull the Kazekage card to get to spend the night.

Kankuro sighed as he entered his shared home. He kicked off his shoes and sluggishly made his way to the bedroom. He tossed his giant scroll to the ground but just as he was going to flop on the bed, he heard what sounded like a box getting hit. He looked over to see that his scroll had hit a cardboard box underneath the bed.

He pulled the box from under the bed to see that it had been labeled, "Kiba's Tapes." What did that mean? Kankuro opened the box to see VHS tapes in the box. He blinked at all of them before grabbing one. He walked over to the TV and put it in, noticing that it had been labeled, "Rockabye, Kiba."

Kankuro's eyes softened at the sight of Kiba's mother, Tsume, trying to figure out how to work the camera. She cursed it a couple of times, turning it to her face. He couldn't help but laugh at the angry look on her face and then the grin that came on when she realized she had figured out how to work it. But then she gasped, there was another voice in the background.

The camera shifted to show her quietly making her way through the house to Kiba's room. She poked around the corner of the doorway, showing Kiba's sister, Hana, talking to a young Kiba. He didn't look to be any older than 2 and it warmed Kankuro's heart to see his lover's childhood.

Hana kissed her brother's forehead, earning a giggle from the child. She smiled as he spoke softly to him, "I know you don't understand this all now, Kiba, but it's just going to be the three of us. Dad isn't coming back so I hope you're going to be fine with being stuck with two crazy dog ladies."

"Doggy!"

Hana gave him the sweetest of smiles before she sang to him, _"She works the night by the water… she's gonna stress so far away from her father's_ son _… she just wants a life for her baby… all on her own, no one will come, she's got to save him… she tells him-"_

Kankuro gasped when he saw the camera move more into the room and Tsume's voice was singing beautifully, _"Ooh, love, no one's ever gonna hurt you, love, I'm gonna give you all of my love, nobody matters like you…"_

The camera was given to Hana, showing Tsume walking over to Kiba and smiling down at him as she continued, _"She tells him, 'your life ain't gonna be nothing like my life… you're gonna grow and have a good life… I'm gonna do what I've got to do…'"_

Kankuro's heart melted at the sight of Tsume picking up her son and rocking him back and forth in her arms as she sang to him, _"So rockabye, baby, rockabye… I'm gonna rock you… rockabye, baby, don't you cry… somebody's got you… rockabye, baby, rockabye… I'm gonna rock you… rockabye, baby, don't you cry… rockabye…"_

He watched the rest of the videos from Kiba's childhood, one of them had Kiba's father in it and that was the last he saw of him. Kankuro knew it was a sore subject for Kiba to talk about since he father wasn't killed in battle, he just walked out on his family. Kiba was only a child, he didn't know why his father left but he thought it was because of him.

In the video with Kiba's father, he saw how the man really cared for his children but he could see it in his eyes that he wasn't happy with Tsume. She was a loving woman but far too aggressive for him and he couldn't deal with it anymore. But even Kankuro thought that he didn't need to walk out on his children. Kiba developed a somewhat harsh and impulsive nature because of his father's leaving.

Kankuro sighed as he turned off the TV, the sooner he went to bed the sooner he would wake up and be able to see Kiba. The more he tried to fall asleep, the more he found he couldn't. He groaned as he went downstairs and put on shoes so he could walk around Suna. Before he realized where he was going, he was at the hospital. He shook his head with a smile, he could always find his way back to Kiba somehow.

He jumped on top of a building, smiling as he could see which room was Kiba and Suigetsu's. They were one of the rare rooms with a balcony. Kankuro debated jumping into the room through the balcony but he was stopped when he saw a figure move out onto the balcony, sitting in a chair and looking out at the town.

He knew those triangle tattoos… it was Kiba! Kankuro moved closer but made sure he stayed out of Kiba's field of vision and even using the sand around him to distort Kiba's sense of smell so he couldn't even smell him out. What was Kiba doing out? Why was Suigetsu allowing him to do that unless… Kankuro facepalmed himself, Suigetsu was probably passed out.

Kankuro gasped at the pain filled voice of his lover singing, _"Baby really hurt me, crying in the taxi… he don't wanna know me, says he made the big mistake of dancing in my storm… says it was poison…"_

Kiba was looking down, the moonlight shining on his face as he continued to sing, _"So I guess I'll go home into the arms of the_ boy _that I love… the only love I haven't screwed up…_ he's _so hard to please but_ he's _a forest fire…_

Then it all hit Kankuro, Kiba was singing about himself right now, _"I do my best to meet_ his _demands, play at romance, we slow dance in the living room but all that a stranger would see is one_ boy _swaying alone, stroking_ his _cheek…"_

When Kiba finally looked up, Kankuro already knew that there were tears in his eyes but God, he was so beautiful as he sang, _"They say, 'You're a little much for me. You're a liability, you're a little much for me.' So they pull back, make other plans… I understand I'm a liability… get you wild and make you leave… I'm a little much for eh-na-na-na-na everyone…"_

Kankuro's heart was breaking, was this really what Kiba thought of himself? Kankuro frowned at Kiba singing, _"The truth is I am a toy that people enjoy till all of the tricks don't work anymore… then they are bored of me…"_

Kankuro's eyes widened at the sight of Kiba shakily standing up, literally belting the lyrics out with such raw emotion, _"I know that it's exciting running through the night but every perfect summer's eating me alive until you're gone… better on my own…"_

Tears were streaming down Kiba's face now, he was emotionally unstable after everything. He didn't even try to wipe the tears away as he finished, " _They say, 'You're a little much for me. You're a liability, you're a little much for me.' So they pull back, make other plans… I understand I'm a liability… get you wild and make you leave… I'm a little much for eh-na-na-na-na everyone… they're gonna watch me disappear into the sun…"_

" _You're all gonna watch me disappear into the sun…"_

Kankuro wanted nothing more than to go up there and talk to him, make him realize how special and important he was to him but he knew he couldn't. He grabbed his heart as he walked home, it hurt him to know he couldn't be there to help Kiba fight his demons tonight.

But what Kankuro didn't know was that someone would be there to help Kiba fight his demons. As Kiba walked back to his bed, a hand grabbed his wrist. Kiba gasped as he was forced to sit on Suigetsu's bed. Tears were still streaming down Kiba's face and Suigetsu just smiled softly back at him.

"You're so far from a liability… I'd do this all over again for you."

"Wh-why? Why would you want to save me? He… did things to me… I'm not-"

"You're my best friend, no matter what he did to you. You'll always have me, Kiba."

"S-Suigetsu…"

Suigetsu smiled at his friend before he said, "I've lived in a village where I've known nothing but blood and death. I grew up with no parents, only an older brother but he was taken from this world too soon. I was taken by Orochimaru and then partnered with Sasuke. I've already gone through hell but after the war was over you gave me something only Mangetsu gave to me…"

Kiba's eyes widened and he gasped when Suigetsu continued, "I have only felt love with him but you… you give me the same love he gave to me. Love is a precious gift, Kiba, and I never thought a demon like me was deserving of something so perfect. While everyone has only showed me resentment, you showed me love… you gave me friends, _family…_ "

"I never thought I could have this life but you changed everything... thank you."

"Suigetsu…"

"You're never alone, Kiba."

Suigetsu grabbed Kiba's hands, smiling as he sang softly to him, _"I'm trying but I keep falling down… I cry out but nothing comes out. I'm giving my all and I know peace will come. I never wanted to need someone… yeah, I wanted to play tough, thought I could do all just on my own but even Superwoman sometimes needed Superman's soul…"_

" _Help me out of this hell…"_

Kiba felt fresh tears pour down his face, Suigetsu's voice was beautiful, _"Your love lifts me up like helium… your love lifts me up when I'm down, down, down… when I've hit the ground, you're all I need… and if I let go I'll float towards the sun… I'm stronger cause you fill me up…"_

Suigetsu kept smiling as he wiped Kiba's tears away singing, _"When the fear comes and I drift towards the ground, I am lucky that you're around. Yeah, I wanted to play tough, thought I could do all just on my own but even Superwoman sometimes needed Superman's soul… help me out of his hell…"_

The Leaf ninja smiled and curled himself in Suigetsu's arms, allowing Suigetsu's voice to lull him to sleep, _"Your love lifts me up like helium… your love lifts me up when I'm down, down, down… when I've hit the ground, you're all I need… and if I let go I'll float towards the sun… I'm stronger cause you fill me up…"_

" _Your love lifts me up like helium…"_

When the morning came, Kankuro rushed into the hospital to see Kiba. When he made it to his lover's room, he was thankful it was just Kiba in the room. He locked the door behind him and sat down on Kiba's bed, instantly taking his lover's hands in his. Kiba was about to say something when he was cut off by Kankuro's lips on his.

When they pulled away, Kankuro looked into his lover's eyes as he said, "I need you to know that you are the most important person in my life, Kiba. When I found out that you were taken… it felt like my world was falling apart. Fuck, I was pissed, Kiba, I was pissed someone had the balls to try to take you from me and get away with it… if I couldn't get to you and I lost you…"

Kankuro caught his breath, pushing the bad thoughts out of his mind before he continued, "If I lost you, Kiba, it would be all over… every dream of the future I have has you in it. You're the only one I want to annoy for the rest of my life. I want you by my side and a fucking ring on your left hand. I want to grow old as shit with you and watch our brats have brats of their own."

To anyone else, Kankuro's words wouldn't have really caused anyone's breath to hitch or make their heart pound because of the swears and lack of romance in the words but to Kiba, this was Kankuro being the most romantic he could be. It wasn't perfect to anyone else but to Kiba, it was everything. It was perfect. It was completely Kankuro and he loved it.

Tears flooded Kiba's eyes as Kankuro kept going, "You were annoying as shit when I first met you and you still are, don't get me wrong, but I could never go on not hearing your loud voice ringing in my ears all day. I could never live knowing I wasn't falling asleep next to you and waking up beside you. I wouldn't be able to go on knowing I could never hear you sing anymore or look into those brown eyes again… what I'm trying to say is…"

"Don't fucking get kidnapped ever again you damned mutt."

"You were doing a great job up until then, you asshole."

"Oh fuck you, I tried."

"I know and… that's why it's perfect… why _you're_ perfect to me."

Kankuro smiled when Kiba wrapped his arms around his neck. The Sand nin snaked his arms around Kiba's waist and they just looked into each other's eyes. They weren't perfect, not by a long shot but Kiba knew Kankuro would go to the ends of the world for him and it was an amazing feeling to know that.

Their foreheads touched, both of them smiling like idiots. In the blink of an eye, they felt like they were 13 and 12 again, looking at each other's young selves. They grinned, they were perfect for each other in every way. They leaned in for a kiss, everything was falling into place again until-

"Guess who's a citizen of the Sand?! SUIGETSU HOZUKI!"

"Shut the fuck up, Suigetsu!"

"You know, doll face, no cactus can compare to what pricks you two are."

"Go fuck yourself with a cactus."

"Kinky but I'll pass."

The couple laughed as Suigetsu flipped them off and walked away. But just when they thought that they were finally going to be alone, Kiba's class actually walked in. Kankuro and Kiba detached from each other, not wanting the students to see them in such a manner. The same little boy from class stepped forward from the group.

Kiba's eyes widened again when he heard the boy say, "We finally know the answer to your question, Kiba-sensei. We figured it out when we noticed how you are with Kankuro-sensei. Home… is not a place... home is a person. Kankuro-sensei is your home… right?"

He grinned as he ruffled the boy's hair, nodding to his class. The kids were jumping and cheering, no puppet master lessons with Kankuro! The kids ran out of the room, excited that they were spared of such harsh training. Kiba smiled at Kankuro, yes, he definitely found his home. Their hearts were instruments that only the other knew how to play. They knew how to strum each other's heart strings. Kiba smiled to himself.

 _Yes, their hearts did make the most beautiful melody together._

 **THE END! This honestly took me a long time to make so I really hope people like it! I'm very sorry Suigetsu made an appearance but he and Kiba are my favorite characters! I also apologize if you don't like singing in fics but I really feel as though the songs I chose were rather fitting.**

 **I strongly suggest listening to the songs while you read them!**

 _Songs in order of appearance: "Chariot" by Gavin DeGraw, "Kiss Me" by Ed Sheeran, "Lay Me Down" by Sam Smith (I was listening to the version with John Legend), "Rockabye" by Clean Bandit, Pitbull & Anna Marie, "Liability" by Lorde, & "Helium" by Sia (from the movie Fifty Shades Darker)._

 _Thank you for everything and sorry for any mistakes!_

 _ **Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review! Don't forget to message me if there's anything I can do for you! :)**_


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